Celebs Who Regretted Their Short Hair Makeovers

Stephen Malkmus, songwriter for the influential indie band Pavement, once sang, "Darlin' don't you go and cut your hair." While the song may not be about any specific celebrity, it hits on an important piece of stardom: meeting fan and studio expectations, especially in how a star looks, can make or break a celebrity's career. And with those looks comes the ever-important hairdo. The right style can turn an already popular actor into a pop culture sensation, and the wrong cut can seriously damage a celebrity's image, taking years to recover from. And the most dangerous of all haircuts is going short.

Admittedly, this is primarily a problem for famous women, but it can change the course of men's careers, too. After all, would superstar male model Fabio have become an icon if it wasn't for his dreamy long hair? Hair, and just how long or short it is, can completely change someone's look and, for actors, a major change in follicle fashion can become something they end up regretting for the rest of their lives. After all, if a non-famous person get a bad haircut, it grows out in a few weeks and everything is fine. For stars, their cuts are forever captured in countless photos and, in the worst case scenarios, movies or shows that people will watch for generations. 

Carey Mulligan made her movie debut in 2005's "Pride and Prejudice," playing Kitty Bennet. In the film, and for five years of her career, Mulligan's acting credits grew to match her long hair. But the hair was suddenly gone a few years later, and the actor showed up in films (like Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps") with a pixie cut. As it turned out, the change in looks wasn't exactly by choice as much as it was because of another movie.

Talking to Elle U.K. in 2010, Mulligan revealed that she was forced to lose her locks after drastically changing it for a movie, explaining, " ... I had a small part in Michael Mann's film 'Public Enemies,' and he wanted me to dye it white blonde, and it wrecked my hair. Literally, ruined it. It was falling apart, fried. So I had to cut it off. I cried." Ever since, Mulligan has tended to keep her hair pretty short, usually framing her neck and reaching to just above her shoulders. And while the actor told the paper "I hate my hair," it's impossible to deny that, long or short hair, she always looks great. 

While Cillian Murphy isn't known for having long hair, there is one short cut that he never wants to have again, but it may be the look he's become best known for — and unless he wanted to go to court, it was one he had to have. The "Oppenheimer" Oscar winner first gained the world's attention when he starred in 2002's "28 Days Later," but his part as Thomas Shelby in the cult hit series "Peaky Blinders" has become the role that has made the biggest impact on pop culture. The haircut Murphy had while playing the part may have been the most influential aspect of it all.

Talking to the Belfast Telegraph in 2014, Murphy admitted that the look wasn't something he liked, saying, "I was alarmed by the haircut, I have to admit, but I'm contractually obliged to have it." Speaking to Vulture five years later, the actor admitted, "I've gotten more tolerant of the haircut over the years," but was surprised that the look had caught on and that fans of the series showed up at barbershops around the world asking for it. "And bizarrely, it's become a desirable cut amongst the fashionistas, which is staggering to me," he said. Luckily for Murphy, while "Peaky Blinders" may have a new sequel series on the way, his time playing Thomas Shelby seems to have come to an end and he can leave that haircut behind without worrying about his contractual obligations.

Kaley Cuoco isn't afraid to change things about herself. The voice of DC's animated "Harley Quinn" has been very open about the cosmetic procedures she has had, which isn't the usual way actors who get work done talk about it. Where some will try to deny going under the knife, Cuoco is happy to discuss it, telling Women's Health in 2016, "I don't think you should do it for a man or anyone else, but if it makes you feel confident, that's amazing." But one change the star made that she did regret was cutting off her hair. 

When fans tuned in for Season 8 of "The Big Bang Theory," many were shocked to see Cuoco with a pixie cut. Opening up about the decision to Glamour, Cuoco admitted, "I just f****** cut my hair off and didn't tell anyone." While she rationalized it by saying it was for a movie, the secondary reason she made the decision to lose the locks was because, "At that point we were heading into our eighth season and something needed to shake up." Cuoco went on to explain that she was tired of dealing with her hair and assumed having it shorter meant she could shave time off hairstyling each morning. As it turned out, " ... that decision bit me in the a** and it took way longer to do my short hair. I was like, This is the worst decision! What was I thinking?!"

While "Friends" was a popular show from the moment the first episode aired, it became a phenomenon around the time Jennifer Aniston showed up with what became known as "the Rachel" hairdo late into the first season. Debuting the 'do in the episode "The One With the Evil Orthodontist," Aniston's new look cut her long hair to her shoulders and featured lots of layers, taking the world by storm as women rushed to the salon asking for the same style. Aniston's popular haircut was created by Chris McMillan, who told The Telegraph all about it and said, "I told her she should grow her fringe out, get some highlights and just try something a bit different." From there, he started cutting, layering, and adding highlights until the iconic look was born. And, according to McMillan, Aniston loved how it looked. But it seems like the actor may have been trying to be kind to her stylist, because she has since said otherwise.

Speaking to Allure (via CBS News) in 2011, Aniston opened up, saying, "I think it was the ugliest haircut I've ever seen." She added, "I love Chris, and he's the bane of my existence at the same time because he started that damn Rachel, which was not my best look." The actor continued to wear that style throughout the second and third seasons of "Friends," but had a new look for the fourth season. Since then, Aniston's hairstyle has continued to evolve, but she still turns to McMillan whenever she wants to change things up.

Before they became Hollywood legends, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves teamed up to create the WB TV series "Felicity." Debuting in 1998, the series was widely praised by critics and the show's star, Keri Russell, even took home a Golden Globe. But a snafu in Season 2 seemingly contributed to the show's decline in popularity that year. That mistake, which started off as a simple joke, was the decision to cut off Russell's long curly hair and give her a wavy pixie cut.

As Russell explained at ATX TV in 2018, after finishing Season 1, she and the hair department had a little fun by putting a shorthaired wig on her and taking a picture. Russell went on to say, "And over the summer, we thought it would be really funny to send it to J.J. and Matt and say 'Look! Oh, I cut my hair! Hope you like it! Hahaha!' Totally as a joke." But an inspired Abrams asked Russell to actually let them cut her hair in an episode early in Season 2 to go with a breakup storyline. 

When the new look finally made its way to TVs, fan reaction was instantly toxic. The ratings of the show tanked, and Russell even received death threats. Years later, Russell would appear in one of the "A Message To My Younger Self" sketches on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and say, "But whatever you do, don't cut your hair short during the second season of 'Felicity.'" Thankfully, Russell's career overcame the haircut, as "Felicity" ran for two additional seasons. She's also gone on to star in popular shows like "The Americans" and "The Diplomat."